Articles

Jesus in the Home

    It seems evident from the gospel accounts that Jesus enjoyed going to the homes of certain people. The home of Zacchaeus, for example, is a place where Jesus invited Himself as He told Zacchaeus “today I must stay at your house” (Luke 19:5). Why Zacchaeus’ house? Because it was the house of a man who was diligently seeking Him. We find Jesus, in Matthew 9:10, at the house of Matthew, where He had occasion to teach many individuals who did not have a relationship with God. Consider how Jesus enjoyed coming to the house of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38), […]

So You Married the Wrong Person?

The statements: “I don’t love you anymore,” and “I think I married the wrong person” we all recognize. They are commonly said at the end of a failed marriage. It is no secret that many marriages fail in the world and a number of them fail among members of the church. Did they indeed marry the wrong person as they suppose? Is it possible to marry the wrong person? Anyone who is struggling in marriage, or knows someone who is, please consider this article and share it with others who you think might need it.     Certainly there are commands in […]

Three Mighty Men

Many will be able to recall the well-known acts of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samson, David, and many others who did amazing things for the LORD. But how many can also recall the deeds of Adino the Eznite, Eleazar the Ahohite, and Shammah the Hararite? Although these three men are not famous as the others, they are certainly worthy of study and discussion, and this we will do within this article.     In 2 Samuel 23:8-17, we find a record of the great deeds of Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah. They were all mighty men of war who served under King David. David […]

I’ll be a Friend to Jesus

There is a tradition among young women to give their best friend a necklace or bracelet. Hanging off this symbol of friendship is usually a heart that says something like: “Best Friends Forever.” Many of these friendship bracelets only have half of a heart, in which case, the other friend has the other half of the heart on their bracelet. Although this is quite common among young women, the tradition of giving a very meaningful gift of friendship has it’s roots far back into the ancient times. In Roman tradition (even practiced in the First Century) a token was exchanged […]

Not Too Far from Judas

One of the most astounding accounts to read in the bible is the betrayal of the Christ. Not just the betrayal, but the events which lead up to it never fail to boggle my mind. However, the text is not just a historical account, but a far more personal event for everyone who is a disciple of Jesus. On some occasions, I’d say, we may not be too far from Judas.     Consider the text with me for a moment, and then draw due application. Beginning in Matthew 26:14, we see Judas, just a few days before Jesus institutes the Lord’s […]

Calling on the Name of the Lord

Our neighbors may be familiar with the statement “calling on the name of the Lord.” It was first used a number of times by the Holy Spirit to communicate a certain action, but it is now used popularly by denominationalists to communicate an entirely different action. Chances are if our neighbors know about “calling on the Lord,” then they have probably heard that it means either to pray to the Lord, or to pray the sinner’s prayer. Therefore, there is a true need for the truth of this matter to be shared.     Due to the widespread use in the scriptures […]

With Wings Like Eagles

One of the most exhilarating thoughts contained in the bible is found in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah. Within the page are just a few words, but they paint a most vibrant and thrilling picture that stimulates the imagination of the mind: “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).     The eagle is the stateliest of all birds, having about 7,000 feathers, and standing over 3 ft. tall with an impressive 7 ft. wing span. It comes as no surprise that man has always had the dream to […]

Seeing Him who is Invisible

    Consider the man Moses for a moment. Only a man with great courage could have brought God’s people out of the land of Egypt. But where did his courage come from? Was he a skilled military leader? How about a trained expert in communication and gifted in motivational speaking? Certainly that was not the case for Moses. So then, what was it that fueled such an amazing display of courage? The Hebrew writer answers this question in only a few words, Moses “endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). The reason for Moses’ perseverance is because he knew […]

Historical Evidences of the Gospel: The Roman Historian Suetonius

Roman Evidence In the previous article, we considered the testimony of Tacitus, who provided some of the most important testimony from the first century Roman Empire. That leaves us with two other Roman historians who spoke of Christ and/or the early church, they are Suetonius and Pliny the Younger. Suetonius Born in 69 AD, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, was a Roman Aristocrate who is famous for his work “Lives of the Twelve Caesars,” where he provides detailed biographies of the Caesars from Julius to Domitian. While it is an important history book for many reasons, it also serves as a witness […]

Historical Evidences of the Gospel: Roman Senator speaks of Christ and the Church

As with our previous discussion of Josephus, we turn to other sources of significance. Significant because they were quite contemporary with the events of Christ and the early church, but also that these sources were not apart of believers in Christ. These historians, who were not believers, and therefore had nothing to gain by reporting the life of Christ as fact, serve as important witnesses. After all, some of the most important witnesses (of any situation) are those who have nothing to gain, nor do they side with the individual(s) they are reporting facts about. Tacitus There are three Roman […]

Historical Evidences of the Gospel: Josephus speaks of Jesus

Josephus speaks of Jesus In the last couple of articles we have considered Josephus’ documentation on John and Baptist, James the brother of Jesus, and Herod. In this article we will be looking at Josephus’ most important corroboration with the biblical account, his documentation on Jesus. There are two separate occasions when Josephus mentions Jesus, and we will deal with the second time first. In Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews (20.9.1), he speaks of the stoning of James, and identifies him as the brother of Jesus: “and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name […]

Historical Evidences of the Gospel: Murder of James

The Murder of James The bible is clear that Jesus had plenty of siblings. These would be half-brothers and half-sisters, in that Jesus came from Mary while she was still a virgin, and the rest therefore, came from the loins of Joseph afterward. Matthew 13:55-56 records the views of the Jews toward Jesus, as they said “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So then, of the four brothers […]

Historical Evidences of the Gospel: Death of Herod

Josephus (Please Refer to the previous article for information on who Josephus was), a non-Christian historian from the first century, unwittingly became a significant source by corroborating with events also found in the biblical account of the beginning days of the gospel. In this article we will examine his account of the death of Herod, and parallel it with what the bible has to say about these events. How God Killed Herod. Acts chapter twelve records a short term persecution when King Herod Agrippa, possibly wanting to gain favor from some influential Jews, “stretched out his hand to harass some […]

Historical Evidences of the Gospel: John the Baptist

Flavius Josephus In the year 37 AD a Jew named Joseph was born. He grew up to become a General in the Jewish forces. During the Jewish-Roman war (66-70 AD), General Joseph and the Jews were defeated by the Romans at Galilee. Joseph then defected to the Romans and remained on their side till his death in 100 AD. He took the name Flavius Josephus, and after the war, he became a historian, recording the events of the war, as well as recording the whole history of the Jewish people. His history of the Jews certainly corroborates all of the […]